Luxury crossovers were designed with luxury and comfort in mind. The idea is to accommodate passengers and cargo room while adding some comforting touches and features to the SUV. In some cases, this may include improving upon driving experience. Instead of a bulky and unresponsive feel while driving, the handling is more refined, which is surprising considering the substantial appearance of an SUV.

Buyers can look forward to the comfortable seating arrangement for five passengers with an impressive 61 cubic foot of space to place your groceries and traveling necessities. A list of upscale features ranges from the incredible summer roof of, an advanced sound system, and an adaptive suspension system under various road conditions. The average 308 hp will be more than adequate to cover your daily driving means. Of course, you have the option of selecting all-wheel-drive option if the standard six-speed automatic transmission simply doesn’t cut it for you.

2012 Infiniti FX

This particular SUV is almost sportier compared to the other SUVs offered on this list. The Infiniti FX seems to share the aggressive rear-wheel drive like that of the G sedan offered by the same manufacturer. The handling couldn’t get any better than this. Many of the other SUVs could stand to learn a lesson or two from the successful Infiniti FX. All-wheel-drive is standard and so is the accommodation of five passengers. You won’t be disappointed with the 62 cubic feet of cargo room. The standard models start out with 303 hp under the hood, but an upgrade can raise the horse power to up to 90 plus. Regardless of the option you pick, the engines are carefully managed by a seven speed automatic transmission.

Audi Q7

This SUV comes in a unique angle compared to the others. The design of the Q7 was inspired by offering a luxurious SUV capable of towing small loads. The interior design is absolutely incredible and is to be expected with luxurious Audi’s brand. Instead of seating just for five passengers, the roomy interior is capable of seating up to seven passengers. However, 72 cubic feet are still to be had even after the passengers are buckled in. So how much towing capacity can you expect? 6600 pounds total will be more than enough for most family outings.

2013 Acura RDX

The 2013 Acura RDX has constantly undergone revisions in order to come up with the compact luxury crossover that passengers would appreciate. Acura worked hard to design a luxurious yet compact crossover that came standard in a well-rounded package. This five-passenger vehicle offers excellent fuel economy compared to the previous year. As if that wasn’t enough, then it has been replaced with something a little beefier. The updated engine offers 273 hp with an all-wheel-drive arrangement option.

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL K class

Mercedes is not too keen on constantly revising already successful models. Yet, they managed to get this SUV facelift and improve upon the interior for the 2013 model. You can comfortably seat five passengers and also have plenty of room for any extra accessories. The ride quality is remarked as behaving similarly to that of a sedan. The seven speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive are standard but this particular crossover. However, an option exists to upgrade to a feature to have the ability to stop the engine to help increase fuel economy.

2013 Buick Enclave

The roomy interior is not only the definition of comfort, but the ride reveals absolutely no road noise when traveling. The passenger capacity can comfortably seat up to eight passengers with vast amounts of luggage seeming to challenge other SUVs with their smaller storage spaces. The 288 hp definitely has some pep in its step. Overall a well-rounded package with a fitting price tag.

2013 BMW X3

The BMW X3 handles the roads like a pro while seating five passengers and maintaining a decent fuel economy. The cargo space is not too bad with 63.3 being the standard. There are a couple of engine options to choose from depending on your lifestyle, and this vehicle intended use. Interestingly enough, if you need extra cargo space, you can always pull the rear seats forward.

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL class

This SUV is massive and appearances and for a good reason. The Crossover (7) seven passenger SUV offers remarkable tuning in a comfortable ride through a responsive steering and handling system. Somehow, Mercedes has managed to cram all the good qualities of their luxury sedans into a larger behemoth of the vehicle. Regardless of the motor you select, all-wheel-drive and seven speed automatic transmissions are standard.

2012 Infiniti EX

The Infinity EX appears to be a station wagon with a taller stance. The platform is based off the similar successful sedan is able to have the curves of a road with ease and grace. The interior of the EX is capable of handling five passengers plus 47 cubic inches of cargo if needed. Surprisingly enough, this compact crossover is agile and the city streets to parking and driving won’t be a problem with this incredible SUV.

When somebody starts discussing automobiles and how wonderful their specs are, you will soon arrive in a point where everybody will ask somebody what type of gearbox you prefer. There are only two choices you can choose upon and it is either you like the fast and furious style where you hold the stick shift and grind your car’s gear or you want that easy going and cozy experience an automatic transmission can give you.

After some thinking, there will be follow up questions to the original topic like “which is better?” Which transmission performs best and why did I choose this type of transmission? To sum up everything you need to know about both of the transmissions, here are some pros and cons you can consider between an automatic transmission and a manual transmission.

MANUAL TRANSMISSION

It is not easy to be in the front seat when you are planning to drive with a car that has 3 pedals that consist of the brakes, accelerator and clutch while holding that stick shift that you somehow managed to use to change the gears. It takes courage and a certain amount of bravery for someone to drive a manual transmission car. If you are not easily discouraged, practicing a manual transmission will help you unlock a lot of benefits in the long run. We will make it easy for you to understand what you can get when driving such cars:

Manual Transmission Cars Cost less- when it comes to price comparison between same cars with different transmission, Manual transmission will cost you less.

Less Fuel Consumption- Knowing the price of fuel as somehow fluctuating and often time increases, you don’t need to worry about it since manual transmission eats up a little less compared to automatic. This can also give you some extra miles on the road.

Covers Cheaper Maintenance- With all the tinkering that is done for the manual transmission’s gear, it is designed to be handed also manually when it comes to repair and maintenance.

Has a Better Handling- When it comes to controls over your engine, Manual transmission will always be the first in the list. It gives you full maneuver to the car whatever you feel is right for the situation you are in without the hassle of having the engine err.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Despite being underhanded when it comes to performance against manual transmission, automatic transmission has a lot to offer aside from taking the pain and hustle of changing gears manually.

User Friendly- Not all individuals have the pleasure of learning driving for a long time and putting their muscle memory into order. Automatic transmission gives you the honor of removing that hustle. Instead of stepping in and out on that clutch pedal, it has a torque converter as a clutch that separates the engine from the transmission. This performs even without the manual aid of the driver.

Less restrictive- We are all taught that both hands should always be on the stirring wheel, but manual transmission does not give you that pleasure. With automatic transmission, you are not obliged to focus on the stick shift and this will opt you out of the hassle a manual transmission can give you, leaving you only to handle the wheel with both hands.

Better in Traffic Prone Areas- it goes without saying that Automatic cars are much more used in traffic prone areas because it aids in drivers not stalling or keeping the foot pressing that clutch and grinding the stick shift.

Generally both Transmissions are designed to give an individual a better option. Your lifestyle and how you can manage the vehicles plays a factor as well. If you are into better output performance and have the guts to do the rumbling maneuver, then manual transmission fits your preference and for someone who likes to just chill out and enjoy the honor of lax driving, then automatic transmission is there for you.

Have you ever wonder why your car is running? Yes, it’s simply the engine that does the thing yet you still don’t know how to fully understand why it is working? Let this explanation give you all the knowledge and idea of how your car engine functions to make you able to enjoy your car’s smooth ride.

Wheels were made so long ago just before the engine was developed. Making people exert much effort in travelling and may use the animals such as horses, camels, and any other stuff that would be able to let the wheels move.

Engines may look so complicated at the time you first open the hood of your car, for these may give you a vague view of mixed metals and wires that will make you confuse how this thing actually works for your car. It’s primary purpose actually is to convert the gasoline you have loaded into an energy that will be able to set your car in motion. It is through burning the gasoline in the engine itself to create movement, making it an internal combustion that the drive is produced for all your car parts to move.

There are two things for you to understand first in order or you to figure out the whole thing. There are actually two different kinds of engine that works primarily for what they are built from, the Diesel and The Gas Turbine engines.

There is also a thing called the external combustion that is well illustrated with what has the old trains and water vehicles such as steam boats. They load these engines with water, fuel, coal, or even wood to be burnt in order to create steam that will be responsible in making the movement inside the engine even if the combustion is done outside the vehicles.

Here is a list of the engine types that will help you identify its function and contribution to how your car will work.

Heat Engine- a kind of engine that uses thermal or heat energy, converting it into a mechanical energy.

Combustion Engine- derives a combustion process that is needed to release mechanical energy. That my come into two primary types:
-Internal Combustion Engine- found in your car’s hood.
-External Combustion Engine- found outside.

Air breathing combustion engine- using air more specifically the oxygen that will convert into a mechanical energy. The term used for oxygen burning process is oxidizing.

These categories will give you an obvious answer to your curiosity. That engines may function in variations depending on the kind o load, and type of car you are actually using. Engines are now innovated into many other categories, and good thing there are now environment friendly engines that uses solar and hydro-power, making the emission of the vehicles clean and harmless.

These are engine innovations that must be kept and be developed for a responsible deal with the natural resources most especially fuel that is now near to its extinction.

Modifying cars to meet performance and personal needs are commonly referred to as car tuning. The individual doing the modifying may have different reasons for wanting to customize their stock vehicle.

Usually car tuners modify their cars or trucks to be fast, nimble and good looking. Their cars may even be a statement of their own personal tastes.

There are several styles of tuning to pick from, a quick look at this article will familiarize yourself with these various styles.

Now that we’ve discovered the various ways a car enthusiast can customize their vehicle, let’s take a look at where car tuning originated and why.

Cars may be customized to improve a specific trait of the vehicle such as fuel economy, more horsepower, and even better handling in tight situations such as corners.

Modifying cars are almost always related to auto racing, but most customized cars may never touch a drag strip or enter a single race during the vehicle’s entire lifetime. Tuned cars are specifically built for the owner’s pleasure of showing off and driving.

Car enthusiasts who are just getting started with tuning may start with small alterations on the interior of the vehicle.

Customizations range from, replacing the pedals with something aftermarket ones. They may even decide to cover their bland looking seats with seat covers of their favorite sports team! Once car enthusiasts get their first taste of customization, they usually start looking for more dramatic tuning options.

The exterior of the vehicle is the first thing people will see, and can tell the public a lot about your particular personality.

Exterior modifications range from lowering the vehicle several inches till the car is just skimming the ground, to adding aggressive looking body kits and spoilers, and even opting for a custom paint job.

Of course, many of the changes that are desired by the owner are rarely offered by the dealership or auto manufacturer. As a result, aftermarket parts have made it possible for the auto enthusiast to design the car of their dreams.

Car tuning first originated between the 1970’s and the 1980’s. American youth were bored with the large and un-impressive vehicles of the time, so they started looking for alternative vehicles that they could customize to display their personal tastes.

In the beginning, Japanese performance cars were prohibited from being exported outside of Japan. In the 1980’s and the beginning of the 1990’s, performance cars from Japan started to slowly make their way over to North America’s soils.

The Nissan Skyline was one of the first vehicles that the American youth would first get their creative hands on.

In North America, this importation and modifying of these performance cars were a direct contrast to the muscle cars that were produced on USA soil.

The Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and a few other muscle cars were limited by tuning only because of the lack of aftermarket parts.

As you can imagine, very few youths were able to get their hands onto these exotic imports from Japan and even fewer were lucky enough to have a classical muscle car at their disposal. Instead, the compact economy cars that frequented the streets would have to do until then.

The small size of these economy cars made it possible to achieve great performance and handling with little investment and tuning required.

As the interest for vehicle sports and racing increased, so did the amount of tuned vehicles. Anyone was capable of tuning a car regardless of their lack of or years of experience. The results achieved would be mixed.

Ever since the first vehicles left the assembly line many years ago, car enthusiasts have been tuning and modifying the engines and bodies of their vehicles.

These enthusiasts have gone out of their way to take a bland vehicle and redesign it to suit their taste. This modifying is commonly referred to as car tuning.

Car tuning is popular all over the world wherever vehicles are available. Whether the tuning is done out of interest for the appearances, performance or both; understanding the various styles of car tuning and what’s involved with each style. This list isn’t complete by any means, but it gives a brief summary of the most popular styles.

What is Car Tuning?

Car tuning is the modification or alteration of a vehicle to improve the appearance or performance of a particular vehicle. Whenever tuning is done to enhance performance purposes, the engine will be custom tuned to suit the enthusiasts desire for maximum power output.

There are various ways one can go about tuning an engine. The enthusiast may wish to increase the horsepower, improve the fuel economy, etc.

However, performance tuning doesn’t just stop with the engine. Other focus areas will include the handling abilities, the braking power, and the maximum torque produced.

When modification is done for appearances, the tuning may involve installing an aggressive body kit to improve aerodynamics, or to add emphasis to a particular part of the vehicle. Most of the time, the vehicle will be tuned with performance and aesthetic purposes.

The Different Types of Styling

The amount of procedures any one style requires is too numerous, below are a few different styles that have withstood the test of time.

The Rat Rod

This is one of the easiest styles to recognize. This style’s origin dates back to the 1940’s all the way up through the 60’s. The rat rod is a vehicle that is tuned to the best of abilities, but looking at the exterior you would never know.

The rat rod frequently projects the image of an unfinished project. The engine is often exposed and the various parts of the body may look like they came from various other vehicles. The rat rod is the Frankenstein of the car world.

The reason why this style often appears unfinished, is because all the elements that have been considered to be unnecessary have been removed. These parts often add additional weight or are un-appealing.

Fenders, hoods, and bumpers may be removed to support this style. This vehicle may be lowered to for an aggressive stance and the engine is larger to produce maximum power.

The types of vehicle used for these projects don’t have to be just cars. In fact, they can be anything from smaller cars, to pickup trucks. The main distinguishing point is the unfinished look and a larger engine.

European

Usually models of this build are from European manufactured vehicles such as Audi, Porsche, BMW, etc. The paint job is usually one defined color throughout the body of the vehicle. The vehicle is lowered and the features are usually sleek.

In essence, the car should project the image of sleek, fast and luxurious appearance. The tires can be smaller but most will be larger sport tires that are designed to grip the road better.

The Low-rider

This vehicle gives the impression of having an aggressive appearance because of how low the vehicle sits low to the ground. The appearance is refined and includes flashy looking wheels, a premium paint job with or without a graphic design, and a customized interior that is more luxurious than practical.

The appearance of being a low rider can be achieved by installing a hydraulic suspension and switching out large tires for smaller ones. Tuning the vehicles like this will affect the gravity and change the aerodynamic elements of the vehicle. These upgrades are frequently done for just looks instead of performance.

The Hot Rod

The base vehicles for this particular style may be older and classic cars that frequented the streets during the 1930’s and 1940’s. The rat rod style and hot rod style may seem similar, but they’re different in the fact that hot rods frequently use older style vehicles. They may not be as heavily modified as other styles, in fact, this style is a little more hands off.

Show Cars or Trailer Queens

These cars are often picked up as antiques and restored to their complete originality. Often times, these vehicles will not be daily drivers, instead they stay in a garage until its contest time.

The purpose of these vehicles is to attract as much attention in the showroom as possible. These cars may or may not be operational and may be illegal to drive on the roads or highways.

Rice Burner

This term is often used in an offensive term that is aimed at vehicles that originated in Japan or Asia. They often appear to be high performance influenced, but most will not meet the expectations of a performance vehicle. Nissan vehicles are a very popular foundation for this style of tuning.

With so many modifications that are possible for vehicle tuning, modifying the height of a specific vehicle’s ride height is probably one of the most common modifications that are performed today.

Whether it be for aesthetic purposes or even more aggressive handling, many auto enthusiasts are convinced that by dropping a vehicle’s height by a few inches may be the edge it takes to win a race.

The years since performance modification was first introduced has seen the development of a variety of suspension tuning parts that are suited for meeting a particular person’s height preference.

The aid of short case dampers, higher spring rates, and skid plates are designed for the purpose of helping to keep the vehicle’s suspension working in harmony with the rest of the vehicle.

Suspension modification is a fairly common practice today, unfortunately this has led to the development of various accidents that have occurred because people don’t quite understand the important dynamics the suspension performs for the vehicle.

Clipping the springs that support the suspension is one of the most common practices that should be avoided by a newbie.

The suspension is not to be taken lightly. It is almost an art form to be able to determine how to modify the suspension to meet particular needs, without damaging the vehicle un-intentionally.

Every vehicle that leaves auto manufacturers, factories will be tuned to the engineer’s specifications so, the vehicle’s systems will work together in harmony. Altering this harmony can result in unintended consequences that can pose as a safety and health hazard.

Aside from the safety concern, it should be understood that modifying the suspension in any form may affect other systems of the vehicle.

Modifying this basic framework may occur whenever the driver or owner of the vehicle may decide to replace the springs, shock absorbers, and sway bars with aftermarket options.

The smaller the shock absorbers, the more stiff and uncomfortable the ride will result in. However, this may be beneficial if the driver is looking for better handling in corners and racing events.

This effect would be undesirable for say a person who is looking for a luxurious ride where they wish to avoid the unpleasantness of a bumpy road.

Restrictive sway bars will drastically reduce the body roll associated with driving a vehicle through corners at high speeds. This will also improve the grip of the tires, giving you an edge over your racing competition.

However, one of the dangerous aspects of replacing or adding sway bars to an existing vehicle is the possibility of the bars being too stiff for the ride.

If the sway bars are fitted too tightly, the inner wheel may lift which will result in a lack of traction for the wheels.

Strut bars may be added to help maintain the body stiffness that are required for demanding cornering at high speeds.

Surprisingly, some car models have the ability to be fitted with specialized braces or even anti roll bars from foundational sport models.

On the opposite end of the performance spectrum, off road enthusiasts may consider re-engineering their suspension for a smoother ride on the trails or for a vehicle that is capable of scaling nearly impossible trails and conditions.

Rather than focusing on dropping the weight of the vehicle, most off road enthusiasts will opt to lengthen the suspension by replacing the stock tires with larger tires built for trail conditions.

These larger tires will instantly give the vehicle more ground clearance, which makes overcoming short obstacles a breeze. These larger tires will result in a better ride when encountering potholes and large bumps in the road.

An extreme contrast of this alternative viewpoint is the Low-riders with their hydraulic or pneumatic suspensions.

The Low-rider vehicle usually has a complicated system installed that makes it possible to adjust each of the wheels height individually.

The operator of these controls also has the ability to raise the wheels completely off the ground in a hop.

In some areas, specialized contests for this particular feat can be witnessed during the summer time. These hop and bounce contests challenge the contestants to compete against one another by seeing whose vehicle can hop the highest, or even make their vehicle perform a list of moves (a dance of sorts).

Car tuning is a word that describes the customization of any vehicle to improve the appearance and or performance of the car or truck. Just about any car enthusiast looks forward to transforming their stock car into something amazing by upgrading specific parts of the vehicle.

These enthusiasts are often willing to invest lots of money to personalize their vehicles to suit their specific taste and to better enjoy their rides.

If you ask a car enthusiast why they go through the trouble of customizing their vehicle, most will reply that the hard work is well worth it to be able to enjoy a vehicle that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Their cars are more appealing, handle better than stock vehicles, and are more fun to drive.

Just about any car or vehicle has the possibility of being tuned. Some popular vehicles that tend to attract large groups of enthusiasts range from the Subaru Impreza, Honda Civic, Toyota Supra, and Mitsubishi Lancer.

These are commonly referred to as tuner cars because of their popularity for customization. This doesn’t limit the selection, however, just about any good and working vehicle can be used to modify. It’s all a matter of your personal taste.

Usually, once a car enthusiast gets their first taste in customizing their ride, they don’t stop there. Before making any changes, it’s best to sit down and determine your wants and needs to get a better picture of what you’re trying to achieve.

For example, if you’re just interested in increasing the horsepower under the hood, you should also consider some suspension upgrades and premium tires.

The most obvious form of tuning, is customizing of the exterior through paint/graphics, body kits, and spoilers. A body kit can be as simple as a bumper kit to a complete kit that includes the front and rear bumpers, a spoiler, some side skirts, and a vented hood.

Most but not all body kits focus on increasing the aerodynamics of a specific vehicle. The use of a body kit that caters to your specific needs in addition to other modifications may increase the down force, which enables the car to handle better on the road even during high speeds.

Body styling is always changing depending on the different trends and fashions. Some of the more professional enthusiasts recommend to sticking to minimal body styling these days.

Installing new lighting, and even adding a bigger spoiler may be all you need to attract attention.

At the minimum, the vehicle’s owner should ensure the body kit will work with the car in harmony and not against it. Try and keep everything uniform.

Most people avoid mixing Japanese tuning with European tuning for a reason; they’re both very different.

Upgrading the suspension is often one of the first things an enthusiast will first modify. This is because depending on how well the upgrades have been completed, your car will almost always handle better than a stock car would. However, this is no small feat.

The upgrade includes changing out springs, shock absorbers, and adding sway and strut bars if you don’t already have them. Adjusting of this system is critical.

The wrong setup will impact the steering and handling of the vehicle in a negative manner. This is the complete opposite of what you want.

Tuning an engine can be simple or complicated depending on the owner’s desires. A simple modification may increase the engine power and improve the operation.

Upgrading the factory installed parts with specifically designed performance parts will give the engine just what it needs to be able to “breathe” and perform its best.

The most common way of modifying an engine involves switching out the ECU or the engine control unit. In the tuning circles, this is commonly referred to as remapping or chip tuning.

The procedure involves replacing the factory settings with customized settings in order to improve engine power and increase the torque.

This procedure is simple to perform and is the fastest way to obtain better raw power under the hood. Even a simple engine remap will enable you to experience a better drive and handling quality.

Remapping an engine will increase the engine power output from 15% to 30%.

Just about every country imposes certain regulations and limitations on certain modifications, so be sure to do your research to make sure your tuning will be legal. Your insurance company should also know about any new changes you make.

Failing to let the insurance company know may render your insurance invalid.

Also, some modifications may seem simple on paper, but should only be performed by professionals or with the supervision of a professional.